For Chef Reggie Davis, the best place to address the plight of local at-risk teens was obvious.

In the kitchen.

"There's a need here in the Mid-City area that's not addressed by youth programs such as ours, " said Davis, the executive chef and head culinary trainer for Liberty's Kitchen, a non-profit youth development program near the corner of Tulane and Broad. "We're offering them a new set of survival skills."

The program seeks to provide 16-to-20-year-olds with life and work skills through an intense, 14-week training program in the facility's coffee bar and kitchen.

Davis conceived the program more than a year and half ago with executive director Janet Davas. Both had previously worked at Cafe Reconcile, a food service-based mission in Central City, as well as with Chef Hardie McDonald.

"They saw the need and thought it would be great to start their own training program, and I had experience, so they came to me, " Davas said.

But it was easier said than done.

"We installed everything; there was literally nothing in this building, " she said.

Liberty's Kitchen received support from Kitchens With Mission, a Seattle non-profit working to build and sustain communities rooted in social enterprise and food service-based training, and from a Starbucks regional manager.

"He was closing a store in Baton Rouge and told us we could have anything that wasn't proprietary, " Davas said, "so we filled up a U-Haul with everything from blenders and furniture to a sink."

"A lot of these young people don't foresee a future, and we're here to give them that future, " Davas said. "We give them skills they can take to other industries."

Davas added that Liberty's Kitchen significantly differs from Cafe Reconcile because it starts only a few participants at a time and adds a new group every few weeks.

The program's three stages teach safety, sanitation, and culinary basics, and after nine weeks, participants are given the option to concentrate in either customer service at the coffee bar or culinary skills in the kitchen, for the remaining five weeks.

Even though the first three participants began their training on July 13, Chef Reggie says business has been booming ever since the cafe opened for breakfast and lunch in April.

"We've seen a steady growth, even in the doldrums of summer, " he said. "We're seeing a lot of regulars, but also new faces on a weekly basis."

The menu, which youth development director Megan Faunce described as "soulful, but not fried or greasy, " includes a variety of salads, sandwiches and pastries, as well as a daily special. Trainees are responsible for making a hot plate each Thursday.

Trainee King Sanchez IV, who eventually wants to work as a chef in a hotel, said his favorite item is the breakfast sandwich on a croissant.

One factor in particular that has contributed to the success of Liberty's Kitchen is its strategic location across from the Orleans Parish Criminal Courthouse complex, which gives the cafe a built-in clientele of lawyers, jurors, public defenders, courthouse employees, and law enforcement officers.

"You walk into almost any office in our building and you'll see people with Liberty's Kitchen travel mugs, " said public defender Rebecca Bers. "We go there to have lunch and chat with Reggie, and it makes you feel at home."

Bers said the non-profit is a welcome addition to the area.

"It's great to see an organization helping youth stay out of the criminal courthouse. It's also nice to have good food and coffee around Tulane and Broad, which was definitely lacking there before."

"It gives a direct connection to the population the court deals with, and it makes it easy for either individuals on probation to access the program, or for judges to come over and look at it and become part of the program, which they've done, " Johnson said.

"They've come over and looked at it and they've bought into the concept. They've been to the kitchen, and they've been pushing us to ramp it up quicker than we have, so they can start sending kids to the program."

One thing that Davas didn't anticipate, however, was the citywide buzz.

"We've really become a destination eatery, " she said. "People are hearing about us and coming here from all over the city, and we didn't expect that part."

The catering service has been just as successful.

"We're doing businesses from downtown law firms to Ochsner hospital, and also dinners and cocktail parties for individuals, " Davas said.

As for the non-culinary component of the program, Faunce said that's taking off as well.

"It's still in its infancy, but we work with them on any mental health or housing issues they might have, " said Faunce, who worked for several years as an advocate for young offenders.

"We're talking about teaching them responsible banking and helping them enroll in GED programs or college testing prep. Because we're so small, we can really take the time to sit down with them individually and cater to their needs."

The focus is also on utilizing community members, she added.

"We had someone from the NO/AIDS Task Force come talk to them about safe sex; we'll have someone come talk to them about street law; and someone to talk to them about table etiquette in case they want to work in fine dining."

Faunce also encourages the trainees to develop critical thinking skills.

"What I like is that at the end of each day I have them write in their journals, which gives them time to reflect that they wouldn't have otherwise, " she said.

Trainee Genero Grinds, 19, said the experience has exceeded his expectations.

"It's much better than I thought it would be. I love cooking in the kitchen, and I'm really enjoying it, " he said. "By the end of the program I want to have my culinary skills at top-notch level and get a great job."

Onaja Stephens, the third trainee in the inaugural group, said he likes the prep cooking and hopes to learn "the skills to be a good worker."

Customer and board member Dr. Alan Burshell said that his most rewarding experience with Liberty's Kitchen so far was meeting one of the first participants.

"I went there for breakfast with some visitors from Phoenix, " he said, "and (the trainee) told me he came to work an hour and a half early, and that he was very proud of that because he had made it through his first week successfully, and that many things hadn't been successful before, " he said.

"For him to have had that success, he can build off of that for future success."

Davas says the program has been so successful that Liberty's Kitchen hopes to expand.

"Our plan is to open a commissary, a large off-site facility that offers us the ability to train more students, and gives us financial stability because we would be able to prepare contracted meal programs, " she said.

For now, however, Chef Reggie Davis is satisfied to have realized his original vision.

"I had a customer come in yesterday, " he said, "and they asked how it's been with the kids. And I said, 'We're living the dream. We're finally doing what we set out to do.' "

Toss all ingredients with vinaigrette until well-coated; serve in a chilled bowl.

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Green Onion Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup ounces rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 bunches wild green onions (tops only), blanched

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until emulsified.

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Spicy Sugared Pecans

2 cups whole pecans

3 tablespoons Tabasco Brand Worcestershire sauce

Creole seasoning

1 cup sugar

Water

Toss pecans in Worcestershire sauce and lay on sheet pan. Season with Creole seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring once to prevent sticking.

In a medium-sized pot, place 1 cup sugar and add just enough water to wet the sugar. Do not stir.

Place on high heat and bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes or until it reaches 239 degrees (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add the toasted pecans to the sugar mixture. Stir with wooden spoon until sugar crystallizes, or turns white. Spread pecans on a sheet pan (greased or covered with parchment paper) to cool.